Educator Survey

You are invited to participate in the research project identified above which is being conducted by Dr Peter Osmotherly (Chief Investigator), Mr Nicholas Mullen (Student Researcher - PhD candidate), Associate Professor Samantha Ashby (Co-Investigator), and Dr Robin Haskins (Co-Investigator) from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Newcastle.

The research is part of Nicholas’ studies at the University of Newcastle, supervised by Dr Peter Osmotherly, Associate Professor Samantha Ashby and Dr Robin Haskins from the School of Health Sciences.

The purpose of the research is to evaluate the experiences and attitudes of physiotherapy academic educators towards the teaching of prognosis in entry-level physiotherapy programs. The results will further inform the teaching of prognosis and prognostic reasoning for entry-level physiotherapists as part of the management of musculoskeletal disorders.

We are seeking individuals who currently teach musculoskeletal physiotherapy in an entry-level program in Australia, New Zealand, The United States of America, The United Kingdom, The Republic of Ireland, and Canada.

If you agree to participate, you will complete an online anonymous survey which will last between 10-15minutes. Participants will be asked questions in relation to their experiences and attitudes towards teaching prognosis in entry-level physiotherapy programs. Your confidentiality and anonymity will be protected throughout the entirety of the process as no personally identifiable information will be collected. If you agree to participate, you will have the right to withdraw yourself and your information from the study at any time prior to the completion of the survey.

Participation in this research is entirely your choice.  Only those people who give their informed consent will be included in the project.  Whether or not you decide to participate, your decision will not disadvantage you. 

If you do decide to participate, you may withdraw from the project at any time prior to the completion of the survey without giving a reason.

The survey will take approximately 15-20minutes to complete.          

There are no identified risks to participating in this research.

The research may be of some anticipated benefit in the future teaching of prognosis to entry-level physiotherapists.

If you decide to participate, your confidentiality and anonymity will be protected as no personally identifiable information will be collected. The survey is undertaken entirely online using the university approved platform QuestionPro. All information gathered through the questionnaires will be securely stored by the researchers at The University of Newcastle. Only the researchers nominated will have access to this information. This is an online survey so data files will be electronic. During the survey, data files will be stored on a password protected server through Question Pro. This company is a common vendor used for survey research and has significant data protection policies in place. Please see the Question Pro security statement here: https://www.questionpro.com/help/privacy-policy.html/ . Data will be retained securely for a minimum period of 5 years from completion of the research and stored in accordance with the University’s Research Data and Materials Management Guideline see https://policies.newcastle.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=72 or any successor Guideline, and applicable University of Newcastle policy provisions (as amended from time to time).

The information collected in this study may be presented in published papers in scientific journals, at professional conferences and in a thesis to be submitted for Mr Mullen’s higher degree by research. Individual participants will not be identified in any reports arising from the project. At your request, you will be able to review a summary of the results upon completion of the research.

Non-identifiable data may also be shared with other parties to encourage scientific scrutiny, and to contribute to further research and public knowledge.

If you would like a copy of the summary of the results, please complete the second survey link in the initial by responding with your best contact email address. This survey is not linked to study survey and will not be used for data collection or analysis purposes. Your information will be protected by the procedures outlined in ‘How will your privacy be protected’.

Please read this Information Statement and be sure you understand its contents before you consent to participate.  If there is anything you do not understand, or you have questions, contact the researcher. 

If you would like to participate, please continue to complete the survey. As the survey is anonymous, this will be taken as your implied informed consent to participate. 

If you would like further information, please contact Dr Peter Osmotherly at The University of Newcastle on (02) 49217718 or peter.osmotherly@newcastle.edu.au. 

Thank you for considering this invitation. 

Dr Peter Osmotherly                                                  

Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy                                                                                                      School of Health Sciences                                           

The University of Newcastle   

                 

Mr Nicholas Mullen

Student Researcher

School of Health Sciences

The University of Newcastle

This project has been approved by the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee, Approval No. H-2024-0242

Should you have concerns about your rights as a participant in this research, or you have a complaint about the manner in which the research is conducted, it may be given to the researcher, or, if an independent person is preferred, to the Human Research Ethics Officer, Research & Innovation Services, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia, telephone (02) 4921 6333, email Human-Ethics@newcastle.edu.au.